


Welcome Back

by neutroskullhigh



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Other, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25819246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neutroskullhigh/pseuds/neutroskullhigh
Summary: In which Number Five has a twin sister who was caught in his time jump to the post apocalyptic world. The difference, however, is she was stuck there alone until The Commission sent her back when 5 came back in 2019.A bit dazed, Number Eight struggles to come to terms with her new reality, while Five is his usually self when asking about her behavior.Both end up opening up slightly and becoming closer.
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy (Umbrella Academy) & Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Welcome Back

**Author's Note:**

> Aaahh I'm so excited for this!! It's my first fic with a kind of oc/insert?? That's not romantic at all, just good old sibling stuff! Oh, and Number Eight would be the same age as 5 here, so she's also trapped in a 13 year olds body. I thought that'd be neat to have. Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> CW: Swearing (it's Five), General Mentions of Trauma, Siblings Fighting

The fridge hadn't changed much through the years, so at the very least, there was that to latch onto. 

The thought lingered in the back of Eight's head as she rummaged through the thing, looking to see if her favorite treats still lay within the appliance. At first, she found nothing, but using her growing frustration to move things more harshly, she found them stuck behind a shelf, a sticky note placed upon them to indicate they were to be eaten by Eight alone.

Mindlessly picking it off, Eight stuck the note into her uniform pocket before she pried open the box, grabbing one, and opening it as she tucked the box under her arm. Finally, finally, after almost 40 years of never having one, she had one in her hands again. 

Shoving it in her mouth, she moved to stick her hand into the box, grabbing two of them this time. Flinging the box aside, with enough force it slid across the table to the other edge, she unwrapped the two and once she swallowed the first one, the second one made its home in her mouth, holding the final one in her left hand. 

Shutting the fridge with her right, she moved to look through the cabinets, searching for any drink that wasn't water. To her own dismay, she didn't find anything except some expired hot chocolate packets and dusty cans of peaches, which looked centuries old. Eight sighed before she gave up, and sat down, eating her final brownie, locking her hands together, resting her chin atop of them in one smooth motion.

Letting go of the latch that kept all of her existentialism and pain locked in the back of her head, she began to let herself drown in the sudden sea of isolation, trauma and guilt. On the outside, nothing really changed, she merely locked her jaw a little more than usual, and she cracked her neck with more force than was deemed safe, almost giving herself whiplash at the sudden motion.

There was so much she could complain about, so much pain she could scream about, but everything boiled down to one thing, one thing that seemed so little in comparison of what she'd been through. One trauma that really trumped it all: 

She'd spent the majority of her life without Five. Furthermore, she'd spent almost 40 years believing she'd die without ever seeing him again. 

She could've lived with being completely alone for almost 40 years in a post apocalyptic world, never seeing another person, devoid of human contact so long as she never knew Five. Hell, she may have been able to do it knowing Five, but also knowing he was okay, that he was alive and well. But she didn't have either of those. Eight had been alone in that world for decades, always thinking Five didn't make it after the time jump, always believing her brother had died because she insisted he'd time jump with her. 

Did it even matter that she'd survived all that? That she kept going until The Commission sorted out the very time anomaly she was by shoving her through the time portal Five had made that brought him back to now? But even that wasn't kind, it merely rubbed salt in her wound by trapping her in a void of time for what seemed like years, only for it to have been a day or two before it finally let her go. It let her drop back into the timeline, but only through a window. 

Was the universe mocking her? Eight couldn't say, but it certainly felt that- 

"Are you...crying?" Snapping back to reality, Eight quickly brought her hands to her face, feeling the wetness of her cheeks. Once it registered, she turned away from Five as she quickly scrubbed her face of any tear tracks and snot. 

"Fuck, I...no," Eight started, denying as she tried to clear her throat so her voice didn't crack. "I'm not, just not used to this body and spilled water on myself." 

It was a really pathetic lie, even an actual 13 year old could see through it, but Eight stuck with it anyways as she stood up. She readjusted her uniform coat by tugging down on it, before she went to walk away, but Five grabbed her arm before she could. Having prevented her from walking away, Five turned his twin around so they were face to face, though she avoided eye contact at all costs. 

"Really? That's interesting because," Five vaguely gestured around him before turning back with that familiar, forced and strained smile, letting go of Eight as he continued to speak. "I don't see any cups at all. No water in sight." 

The smile dropped from his face once he saw the reaction to his cold front, as Eight had stepped back slightly, looking away as she bunched up the right sleeve of her uniform jacket. Five noticed the way she ground one foot into the other, as well as the chewing of her lip, and he gave, letting his harsh demeanor drop. He couldn't possibly keep that up once he saw it made her nervous enough for her old tells to show again. 

"Sorry, sorry, but you know I didn't mean that. It's just," Five trailed off as he saw her loosen up, stepping closer, but not completely relaxed yet. He sighed, looking to the side as he rubbed his neck, pressing his thumb into his spine as he straightened his posture, cracking his back ever so slightly. "I'm not used to you being back. I'm also not used to comforting anyone in general." 

Once again, Five cleared his throat. Eight didn't say anything, but the tension in her finally released as she exhaled, nodding before she stepped closer to her twin brother. Neither said anything for a minute, letting the silence around them build until it was suffocating, until it felt the same as breathing in pure pollution. Eight broke it by moving to leave again, however she didn't get far as Five reacted without thinking as he grabbed her uniform coat. Exhausted from the game of stopping her and saying nothing, Eight turned and roughly pushed his arm away, half tempted to elbow him as she stormed off. 

But, she was better than that, better than resorting to physical violence at the drop of a single frustration. At least, she was this time and with Five. 

"Stop, just stop, please. You can't help, you just can't," Eight shook her head as she said it, shoving her hands into her coat pockets, shutting her eyes as she grit her teeth before she opened them again. Five was a bit in shock at the sudden outburst, so he didn't do much besides struggle to say something of value. "You don't know what I went through, so please, just fucking leave me alone, alright Five? Just for once, spare me the decency you don't have and leave me be." 

Shaking a bit and coming down from the sudden explosion of emotions, Eight took her hands out of her pockets and shook them as if she were flinging water off of them, before running them both through her hair. It messed up the previously perfectly combed hair, the nit picked part falling into chaos. She went to finally escape talking with her brother, but it seemed as if he was determined to never let this go. 

"But I do. I do, I'm probably the only person who gets it. You were trapped, it's shitty, I get it. But you're being-" Five was cut off by a near shriek of a yell from his sister, the sound coated in fierce anger and pain. 

"Being what?! Dramatic?! Five, holy shit, I was completely alone up until 3 days ago! I hadn't seen another fucking person for almost 40 years! You don't fucking understand what this is! No one does," Eight said, inhaling sharply before she tried to reel herself in, putting her face in her hands. She then harshly snapped them down and hit her own thighs, gripping the dress shorts before she finally let go, exhaling sharply. "No one ever will. I'm alone. There's not even a name for what I'm going through, Five. So don't even try." 

She looked so solemn as she stared at the ground after saying she was alone. Eight's voice had cracked finally with saying those words and Five was in a state of shock, as he'd never dealt with anything like this, let alone seen his sister in such a state. He was, frankly, frozen. Eight moved to cross her arms, tsking as she swung her leg slightly, half waiting for a response, but more so waiting for Five to simply leave and give up on the whole thing. 

"There is a fucking word for it, but you might not like it," Five said it in a harsh tone, which once again made Eight hesitant to even be around him. Tired of his constant change in attitude between asshole and concerned, as well as done with being vulnerable, Eight decided to act as she usually did. Which, simply put, was just being as much of an asshole as Five. "It's textbook, and it's simple, it's just trauma." 

A beat of silence hit and time seemed to freeze as Five instantly realized that he'd fucked up with what he'd say, as well as the tone he said it in. The hatred and horror that filled Eights expression hurt Five and to change that back to at least a content expression quickly became the most paramount thing to him. Eight went to say something, but she spotted one of her siblings, who upon being spotted, ducked his heads down in a feeble attempt to hide again. Klaus was never the best at hiding, and he would have been noticed far earlier if Eight hadn't been so emotional. Eight turned to look at Five, grabbed his sleeve and tugged, tilting her head up. 

"Our room," Five nodded and within a moment, the two were in their own room, Eight shutting the door to it as she heard her other sibling whine about being caught. Eight sighed after the door clicked and she then turned around, looking at Five, who stood in a bit of a defensive posture. "Now that that's sorted..." 

Eight gestured to one of the office chairs in the room, the one that was in front of Five's desk, before she sat down in her own chair next to her own desk. Five nodded, sitting down, interlocking his own hands before setting them on his knees, leaning forward very slightly. For once, he seemed like he would be quiet and actually listen, which was a new thing but Eight wasn't complaining. 

"This has to be more than just trauma, alright? This can't be just that, it's consumed me, I can't sleep, I have trouble eating anything and I'm so, so, so not ready to even be in a different room by myself and," Eight said it all quickly, swallowing afterwards before she stood up, beginning to pace after the pause. "I have to be with someone constantly, and I'm in fucking hysterics the moment I think you in specific are mad at me. I thought, for years, it was my fault the time jump didn't work and that you died because of my insisting to go."

Eight's voice was shaking as she spilled everything to Five, who had since sat up straight and his hands had since come undone. He went to stand up, but she held her hand up, her index finger the only one not curled into her palm as she looked at him. Her expression was pulled back into one of pain and fear. 

"So what is this, Five? What is it, because I don't think," Eight began, another breath was drawn in as Five noticed her hands shaking. "Trauma quite fucking describes it. So what is the word for this?" 

Eight practically threw herself back into her chair as she came down from the adrenaline rush of that whole ordeal of opening up, looking to the side as her right hand made its home on her face. She gripped harshly before she moved her hand up, then dragging it down, pulling at her lower eyelids. Eight then looked to Five, only moving her eyes before she let her hand fall. 

"I'm sorry for blowing up, but I needed to say it." Eight softly muttered it, Five barely able to hear it. He did, though, so he nodded before he stood up, adjusting his uniform jacket, as well as tie. Brushing off his sweater vest, he finally answered. 

"I don't know what that is," Five started, for once no bit of his tone being harsh or standoffish, as he carefully stepped closer. Eight didn't push away, so he continued. "I don't know what to call it. I don't even know how to help, and honestly, I'm hesitant. I want to, but...you know. I'm awful at that." 

Eight barely registered a response to him as she deflated, sinking towards the floor while still semi remaining in her chair. She let out the air she'd been holding in her chest as she looked up at Five, who was standing near her, seeming to hover as he looked at her. His arms were crossed as he leaned over slightly, unknowingly tilting his head, as a non verbal invitation for her to know he was listening. Waiting, actually, for a response. 

A bit tired from the downfall after the adrenaline rush, but mostly bemused at how much he'd stayed the same after all this time when it came to trying to be a good brother, she finally made eye contact with him. He jolted when she did, mumbling curses after she dryly laughed at his reaction before he straightened his posture, hands falling to his hips. Five's thumbs locked through a loop in his shorts, as he himself exhaled, throwing his head back slightly. 

"I appreciate it. But, I'd also appreciate you treading more lightly with your words, so to speak," Eight spoke, as she pushed herself up, rocking slightly before fastening her stance as she looked at Five. "As you were being a fucking prick down there, Five." 

Five shrugged and Eight shot him a glare, to which he just rolled his eyes, taking one hand up to wave her off dismissively. 

"It's noted, but I can't change that much," Five said, Eight groaning at his response. He shot her a look before he continued. "In a short amount of time. Eight, give me some damn credit. But take that truthfully as well, I'm not gonna get all gushy and open." 

It was Eight's turn to roll her eyes at her brother and she did as such, messing with her tie. Five got very quiet after she did that, and her interest, concern included, peaked. 

"Five?" He didn't respond as he quietly withdrew himself, the roles changing now to where Eight was the one prying and trying to give mediocre support. Five sighed when his sister lightly kicked the top of his dress shoe, giving into her intense stare that clearly read as "It's alright, you can open up to me, I won't tell." 

"I don't wanna get all open because, well, being vulnerable is a bit of a weakness," Five proclaimed it as if it were fact, even though it was far from it. But, in his mind, it was the concrete truth. "I'm just not ready to be weak. Not yet, we need to save the world first." 

The overbearing silence from earlier was present again, and it was laid as an even heavier smog that it had before. But, unlike earlier, Eight didn't allow it to settle as she waved both of her hands around, gesturing wildly as she began to talk. 

"Then we'll save the world. It's that simple, and if I may say, it will be a deal. Once we save the world, you stop shoving all your emotions down and just talk every once in a while," Eight offered her hand out as she said it, staring down her brother as he flicked his focus from her hand to her eyes. "Is it a deal?" 

Letting a single, sharp laugh pierce the air, Five took Eight's hand in his, shaking it slightly before breaking the contact. 

"Deal." Five nodded as he verbally agreed, both of their expressions falling back into ones of mocking smirks as they finally let go of the serious air around them. 

"Great. Now, let's go save this godforsaken earth."


End file.
